THE PARABLE of today's Study is supposed
to have been uttered by our Lord about three
days before His crucifixion, as part of His
response to the question, "What shall be the
sign of Thy Coming and of the end of the
Age?"
In the preceding chapter the Master
traces various experiences of His people down to the time of His Second Comingthe time of the consummation of this Gospel
Age and of the inauguration of the Messianic
Age, the Age immediately ahead of us.

In considering this parable, it is proper to notice, first
of all, that it has not been applicable at all times and under
all conditions.
This is shown by the first word, "Then"at that time"the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened
unto ten virgins."
Furthermore, it should be noted that
the parable does not describe the world in general, but
merely the "virgin" classthe Church classthe pure ones
who have left the world, who have come to God through
Christ, who have been justified by faith in His blood, and
who have thus been made prospective members of the
Kingdom class, the Bride class.
This parable shows, then,
that in the end of this Age a separation, or division, will
take place in the true Church of Christ, regardless of [R5522 : page 252] what may be the attitude of the world or of the nominal
Church.

With the Jews, betrothal took place between the
bride and the bridegroom usually a year before they came
together at the marriage feast.
During that year the
obligations of marriage applied, and any unfaithfulness
to the bridegroom vitiated or annulled the contract, which
was usually made, not by the bridegroom himself with
the bride, but through others, intermediaries.
So, during
this Gospel Age, a Church is being betrothed to Christ,
and covenant obligations are being entered into in behalf
of the Bridegroom, Christ, who is "afar off" and who is
now entering into a covenant with those who would be
members of His Bride class.
These covenants and agreements
are made through brethren, ministers, servants, of
the Lord and of the Church.

The Scriptures represent that during the long period
between the time when our Lord went away and the time
of His return there has been a serious unfaithfulness on
the part of many professing to be of the Church of Christ.
In the Revelation these are charged with harlotry.
We
are assured that they will not be recognized, but will be
fully repudiated, rejected, at His Second Coming.
But
although the mass of those professing to have entered into
a covenant with the Lord were foreseen to be unfaithful,
nevertheless the Lord just as distinctly declares that at
His Coming there will be a faithful "virgin" classpure
ones, separate from the world, uncontaminated.
It is this
class which the parable describes.
It shows incidentally
that not even all of the virgins will be accepted as members
of the Bride; but that, in addition to purity, a certain
watchfulness and zeal will be considered essential.

PAROUSIA AND EPIPHANIA

Many Bible students hold that this parable began to
have its fulfilment in the Millerite Movement, which in
1844 culminated in a disappointment.
For some fourteen
years prior to that time a cry had gone forth throughout
the Church that the time of the Second Coming of Christ
was at hand.
History tells us that many noble characters
of all denominations believed the Message and, in the
strength of their faith, went forth to meet the Bridegroom.
But they were disappointed, in that the Bridegroom
tarried.

Then all of the "virgins," both wise and foolish,
slumbered and slept.
A general stupor, uncertainty and
drowsiness came over all.
Some of them dreamed of
strange knockings during that time, too.
Later, at midnight,
the Bridegroom came apparently, and announcements
were made to that effect"Behold the Bridegroom!
Go ye forth to meet Him!"

An increasing number of Bible students believe that
this latter cry sounded forth just thirty years after the
disappointment of the followers of William Miller;
namely, in 1874.
They do not claim that Jesus came in
the flesh then; but, on the contrary, they hold that He is
never to come in the fleshthat He is flesh no longer,
that He has "ascended up where He was before"to the
spirit planefar above angels.

These Bible students call our attention to the fact that
the Bible distinctly differentiates between the Parousia
of Christ and His Epiphania, at His Second Coming.
The
word Parousia signifies presence, without in any sense of [R5523 : page 252] the word indicating that the presence is visible.
The
word Epiphania signifies the revealing of one who is already
present.
These Bible students claim that in the
end of this Gospel Age Christ will be present, invisible
to men, during a period of forty years, doing a work
especially in His Churchrewarding the faithful, as shown
in the parables of the Pounds and the Talents, and receiving
the "wise virgins," as in the parable of our lesson.

With the conclusion of this work of separating the
wise virgins, and after they shall have entered into the
joys of their Lord by the glorious change of the First
Resurrection, then will come Immanuel's Epiphania, revealing,
showing forth.
"When He shall appear, ye also
shall appear with Him in glory."
"He shall be revealed
in flaming fire, taking vengeance."
In other words, the
revelation of Christ to the world will be subsequent to
His revealment of Himself to the "wise virgin" class.
The world will know that He has taken His great power
and begun His Reign of Righteousness, not by seeing
Jesus in the flesh, but by seeing the great Time of Trouble
which then will break upon the world"a Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation."Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21.

THE LAMPS AND THE OIL

The views of these Bible students are interesting to
us.
Whether all of their conclusions may be accepted or
not, they are at least worthy of consideration, inasmuch
as they furnish a new interpretation of some Scriptures
not previously understood.
Whether they have the times
and seasons properly divided is another matter, upon
which each individual Christian should use his own judgment.
Let us follow the parable from this standpoint; for
we know of no other to which the terms and conditions of
the parable could be applied.

Let us note that all the "virgins" are to hear this
Message, "Behold the Bridegroom!"the expected One
has come.
It does not follow that they will all hear at
oncerather the contrary.
During the period of the
"cry," whether it be forty years or more or less, as long
as the cry goes forth there will be opportunity to hear it.
And all of the virgin class must hear it.

The "oil" of the parable evidently represents the Holy
Spirit, while the "lamps" represent the Bible.
All of
these virgins had the Bible and some light therefrom; but
only those possessing the Spirit of the Truth in their
hearts in good supply would be able to hold out.
To
the others the Lamp would cease to burn.
They
would cease to be able to appreciate and apply the
Scriptural prophecies relative to Christ's Second Coming.

ONLY ONE WAY TO GET THE HOLY SPIRIT

The "wise virgins" trimmed their lamps in response
to the Messagethey examined the Scriptures.
Like the
Bereans of old, they "searched the Scriptures daily to see
whether these things be so."
Thus they had light in
their lamps, as well as "oil," the Holy Spirit, in their
hearts.
Then it was that the "foolish virgins" said, "Give
us of your oil."
We wish that we could be as earnest at
Bible study as you are, but these things are no longer interesting
to us.
Do give us some of your oil (spirit)!

However, there is but the one way to get the Holy
Spirit, and that is from the Lord Himself and upon His
own terms.
In order to receive a fresh supply of Oil we
need to look well to our covenant with the Lord and to
our zeal for Him and the Truth, to our loyalty to the principles
of righteousness.
This costs something of time and
study.
It costs something, perhaps, of neglect of the
things of this life.
It means to forego strife for wealth
and fame.
It means to live close to God.

This is the cost of the precious Oil which is to give
Light to those who will have it.
Hence the wise virgins
declared, in no ungenerous spirit, that they had none too
much of the oil of the Holy Spirit for themselves.
Then
they advised their brethren who were deficient to go to
God, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not, and to seek
the Oil by obedience to His Word, by the searching of
the Scriptures and by close following of the Master's
leading in the Narrow Way.

Meantime, the "wise virgins" were going in, one after
anotherpassing beyond the veiluntil finally the last
of the foreordained number had gone in and no more
could enter.
"Then the door was shut."

Once in our misunderstanding we thought that this
shutting of the "door" after the wise virgin class had
gone in represented that all the foolish virgins and all the remainder of mankind were shut out of God's favorbanished to eternal torment.
Now, however, we notice
that the "door" merely shuts in the Kingdom class, the
Little Flock, to whom it is the Father's good pleasure to
give the Kingdom.
While others will never be able to
enter into that Kingdom, God has other blessings for
them, all of which will come through the Kingdom classChrist and His Bride.

The parable shows that later on the foolish virgin class
get the Oil, the Holy Spirit, in proper measure and are
able to get light from their lamps; that they recognize
that the end of the Age has come, and earnestly desire,
and in prayer "knock," that the door of the Kingdom
may be opened to them.
But the Lord's answer to them
is, "I cannot recognize you.
There is only one Bride
class, and they have already come in to Me."

In view of this, all of the Lord's consecrated people
should be earnestly on the watch, filled with the Spirit
and having their Lamps "trimmed and burning."
None
might know the day and the hour when the Bridegroom
would come, in the sense of His Parousia; nevertheless,
all of the virgins were to be aware of His presence after
He had come.
Any one who did not know of it would, to
that extent, lack the evidence that he belonged to the
Bride class; even the foolish virgins knew of the Bridegroom's
presence.

In the parable the Lord does not tell what may happen
to the foolish virgins; but other Scriptures show that they
pass through a portion, at least, of the great Time of
Trouble coming upon the world; and that when finally
they are received of the Lord, it will not be as His joint-heirs
in the Throne, but as honored servants of the Bride.
They are elsewhere spoken of as "the virgins, the Bride's
companions, who follow her" and who will ultimately be
brought into the presence of the King and have an inferior
share in the work of the Kingdom. (Psalm 45:15,16.)
Next in order will come the blessing of Natural
Israel and of all the families of the earth for a thousand
years, for their uplifting from sin and death to righteousness
and life eternalor failing in this, the destruction of
the incorrigible in the Second Death, from which there
will be no recovery.